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New AGBU Performing Arts Department off to Exciting Start
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/03/07/new-agbu-performing-arts-department-off-to-exciting-start/
March 7, 2013
Competitions, Concerts, and Cultural Events Draw International Attention
This past year, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) unveiled
its new Performing Arts Department (PAD), and has since expanded its
reach broadly to support rising talents - and has plenty more in store
in the months to come.
AGBU Performing Arts Scholarship Fellowship recipients play world
premiere pieces written by Vahram Sargsyan (conducting) at the AGBU
NYSEC Performing Artists in Concert. (Photo by Stewart Isbell)
A central part of PAD's mission is to connect young Armenian artists
with their musical heritage. In 2012, the AGBU initiated its Musical
Armenia Program, which PAD will continue to administer with AGBU
Yerevan this summer. In its pilot year, Musical Armenia brought
diasporan youth from Greece, Syria, and the United States to their
homeland to train with experts in the field, and, after an intense
three weeks of master classes and excursions, the students
participated in a final gala concert in Yerevan's Aram Khachaturian
Museum Hall.
Applications for the 2013 Musical Armenia Program are now being
accepted, giving scores more emerging musicians ages 18 and older the
opportunity to learn and perform alongside professional mentors this
summer.
While Musical Armenia participants were discovering the classics in
Yerevan, composers around the world were writing their own original
pieces, hoping to land a prize in the AGBU France 2012 Sayat Nova
International Composition Competition, which was initiated by the AGBU
France District. The first competition was organized in 2006 by the
District in Paris during one of the AGBU's centennial celebrations.
This past year's concert showcased more new talents while honoring the
300th anniversary of the legendary Armenian bard. The chance to win up
to 2,500 euros and gain international exposure drew applicants from 18
countries, and proved that a new genre of music is on the horizon - one
that is inspired by traditional Armenian sounds and has a modern,
global twist.
An international ensemble performs the winning pieces from the AGBU
Sayat Nova International Composition Competition at a concert
organized by AGBU France in Paris's prestigious Salle Cortot.
Winners from each Sayat Nova International Composition Competition,
along with AGBU scholarship recipients, got their moment in the
spotlight at two back-to-back concert events in December 2012, which
drew more than 750 music enthusiasts. The first, presented by the AGBU
New York Special Events Committee (NYSEC) in Carnegie Hall, and the
second, organized by AGBU France at Paris's prestigious Salle Cortot,
included the world premieres of several works. Generous donations from
the NYSEC concert will continue to support AGBU musical programs and
events, as well as gifted young Armenian performers.
PAD's artistic director, Hayk Arsenyan, is himself a former AGBU
Performing Arts Scholarship recipient who, with the AGBU's support,
was able to pursue a career as an internationally acclaimed concert
pianist and composer. He is also as a member of the French Union of
Composers in Paris and a faculty member at New York University's Tisch
School of the Arts. Arsenyan remarked on PAD's goals to both connect
Armenian artists worldwide and introduce Armenian art to diverse
audiences, stating, `As a Yerevan native who has worked in France,
Russia, and the United States, I have met artists who were eager to
learn and play Armenian music, though it was largely absent from their
classrooms and concert halls. With PAD, we are changing that by
creating more educational opportunities and performances, while
supporting emerging and established Armenian artists. I'm delighted to
have the opportunity to help establish PAD and look forward to
watching our initiatives unfold.'
Local artists discuss new collaborations at the inaugural AGBU
Performing Arts Department Salon Night in New York, the first of a
series of networking events designed especially for musicians and
vocalists.
Those initiatives include a series of international events that will
bring music lovers and performers together. Plans are already underway
for next year's annual NYSEC concert; in the meantime the AGBU Artists
project, which is sponsored by AGBU France and supported by PAD, will
introduce new talents to local communities in Europe. In New York,
PAD's Salon Night, which is being organized every few months at the
AGBU Central Office, is giving local artists the opportunity to
network and forge collaborations. At the kickoff event this winter,
guests enjoyed a screening of Sergey Parajanov's classic film `The
Color of Pomegranates,' based on Sayat Nova's life, celebrating the
man whose legacy has endured through centuries and inspired them to
make the Armenian music of tomorrow.
To learn more about the new AGBU Performing Arts Department and
upcoming events, e-mail [email protected]. To learn more about
the AGBU Musical Armenia Program and submit an application, visit
www.agbu.org/musicalarmenia. For more information about the AGBU and
its worldwide programs, visit www.agbu.org.
From: A. Papazian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/03/07/new-agbu-performing-arts-department-off-to-exciting-start/
March 7, 2013
Competitions, Concerts, and Cultural Events Draw International Attention
This past year, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) unveiled
its new Performing Arts Department (PAD), and has since expanded its
reach broadly to support rising talents - and has plenty more in store
in the months to come.
AGBU Performing Arts Scholarship Fellowship recipients play world
premiere pieces written by Vahram Sargsyan (conducting) at the AGBU
NYSEC Performing Artists in Concert. (Photo by Stewart Isbell)
A central part of PAD's mission is to connect young Armenian artists
with their musical heritage. In 2012, the AGBU initiated its Musical
Armenia Program, which PAD will continue to administer with AGBU
Yerevan this summer. In its pilot year, Musical Armenia brought
diasporan youth from Greece, Syria, and the United States to their
homeland to train with experts in the field, and, after an intense
three weeks of master classes and excursions, the students
participated in a final gala concert in Yerevan's Aram Khachaturian
Museum Hall.
Applications for the 2013 Musical Armenia Program are now being
accepted, giving scores more emerging musicians ages 18 and older the
opportunity to learn and perform alongside professional mentors this
summer.
While Musical Armenia participants were discovering the classics in
Yerevan, composers around the world were writing their own original
pieces, hoping to land a prize in the AGBU France 2012 Sayat Nova
International Composition Competition, which was initiated by the AGBU
France District. The first competition was organized in 2006 by the
District in Paris during one of the AGBU's centennial celebrations.
This past year's concert showcased more new talents while honoring the
300th anniversary of the legendary Armenian bard. The chance to win up
to 2,500 euros and gain international exposure drew applicants from 18
countries, and proved that a new genre of music is on the horizon - one
that is inspired by traditional Armenian sounds and has a modern,
global twist.
An international ensemble performs the winning pieces from the AGBU
Sayat Nova International Composition Competition at a concert
organized by AGBU France in Paris's prestigious Salle Cortot.
Winners from each Sayat Nova International Composition Competition,
along with AGBU scholarship recipients, got their moment in the
spotlight at two back-to-back concert events in December 2012, which
drew more than 750 music enthusiasts. The first, presented by the AGBU
New York Special Events Committee (NYSEC) in Carnegie Hall, and the
second, organized by AGBU France at Paris's prestigious Salle Cortot,
included the world premieres of several works. Generous donations from
the NYSEC concert will continue to support AGBU musical programs and
events, as well as gifted young Armenian performers.
PAD's artistic director, Hayk Arsenyan, is himself a former AGBU
Performing Arts Scholarship recipient who, with the AGBU's support,
was able to pursue a career as an internationally acclaimed concert
pianist and composer. He is also as a member of the French Union of
Composers in Paris and a faculty member at New York University's Tisch
School of the Arts. Arsenyan remarked on PAD's goals to both connect
Armenian artists worldwide and introduce Armenian art to diverse
audiences, stating, `As a Yerevan native who has worked in France,
Russia, and the United States, I have met artists who were eager to
learn and play Armenian music, though it was largely absent from their
classrooms and concert halls. With PAD, we are changing that by
creating more educational opportunities and performances, while
supporting emerging and established Armenian artists. I'm delighted to
have the opportunity to help establish PAD and look forward to
watching our initiatives unfold.'
Local artists discuss new collaborations at the inaugural AGBU
Performing Arts Department Salon Night in New York, the first of a
series of networking events designed especially for musicians and
vocalists.
Those initiatives include a series of international events that will
bring music lovers and performers together. Plans are already underway
for next year's annual NYSEC concert; in the meantime the AGBU Artists
project, which is sponsored by AGBU France and supported by PAD, will
introduce new talents to local communities in Europe. In New York,
PAD's Salon Night, which is being organized every few months at the
AGBU Central Office, is giving local artists the opportunity to
network and forge collaborations. At the kickoff event this winter,
guests enjoyed a screening of Sergey Parajanov's classic film `The
Color of Pomegranates,' based on Sayat Nova's life, celebrating the
man whose legacy has endured through centuries and inspired them to
make the Armenian music of tomorrow.
To learn more about the new AGBU Performing Arts Department and
upcoming events, e-mail [email protected]. To learn more about
the AGBU Musical Armenia Program and submit an application, visit
www.agbu.org/musicalarmenia. For more information about the AGBU and
its worldwide programs, visit www.agbu.org.
From: A. Papazian